Smart structures technology and biomechanics research

Dryver R. Huston; Bruce Beynnon; Martin Krag

doi:10.1117/12.240890

Abstract

The human musculoskeletal system represents one of the ultimate manifestations of smart structures capabilities. It can sense, actuate, and heal for periods occasionally in excess of one hundred years. As a natural consequence, research and treatment regimes for a variety of musculoskeletal disorders use technologies that are in many respects very similar to that of the more traditional aerospace and civil smart structures technologies. This paper presents an overview of the technologies that are currently in use in orthopaedic practice and research that mimic these more traditional smart structures. This includes a wide variety of instrumentation that can measure loads and motions within the musculoskeletal system, within prostheses (artificial joints and limbs), and within orthoses (devices that limit the motion of joints and limbs). Included are discussions about the instrumentation of spine and hip implants and the use of telemetry to transmit the data, the measurement of spinal motions through goniometers and surface-attached lordosimeters, and the forces involved in ambulation. In addition to the systems that can measure loads and motions, there are some devices that can measure these quantities and respond in such as way as to control the motions or loads. A 'virtual corset' that provides audio and/or tactile feedback to patients to prevent excessive trunk flexion is described.

Citation Download Citation

Dryver R. Huston, Bruce Beynnon, Martin Krag, "Smart structures technology and biomechanics research", Proc. SPIE 2718, Smart Structures and Materials 1996: Smart Sensing, Processing, and Instrumentation, (30 May 1996); doi: 10.1117/12.240890; https://doi.org/10.1117/12.240890

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